WOOSTER -- Many pundits consider jobs to be the most important issue heading into the November mid-term elections, and three of the four candidates running for Ohio's 16th Congressional District had something to say about the topic.

Incumbent John Boccieri, an Alliance Democrat, Jim Renacci, a Wadsworth Republican, and Jeffrey Blevins, a Wadsworth Libertarian, debated at Wooster High School on Sept. 20, and included among the 14 questions asked was one wanting to know what would they do to stimulate the economy, yet not add to the national debt.

Renacci, a former mayor of Wadsworth and chief executive officer of LTC Management, said small business owners need to understand it is OK to risk their capital and move forward. However, they are not going to do so when there is so much uncertainty about the future, especially how regulations and legislation will affect operations.

If the costs associated with health care reform are too much and taxes are higher next year, then small business owners are not going to hire anyone, said Renacci, whose consulting firm helps turn around struggling companies. If the possibility of cap-and-trade legislation leads to uncertainty about utility rates, employers will not hire, he added.

With certainty and predictability, employment will come back, revenue will begin growing and there will be money to bring down the deficit, Renacci said.

As Blevins, a restaurant manager, sees it, every dollar not taxed by the government is free to flow through the free market system, where it can help spur business growth and jobs. The reckless spending at the federal level needs to be stopped and there needs to be certainty in the economy, not only for the business owner, but the consumer as well, Blevins said.

Blevins said he favors restoring the George W. Bush tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of this year, and capping the capital gains tax rate, and he would look at reducing those taxes in the future.

Boccieri, who has held the seat since January 2009, said strategic investments, like those made to rebuild roads, bridges and schools, will help get the national debt under control and put Americans back to work. The investments made through the stimulus bill has helped make America stronger, he indicated.

Boccieri defended his vote for cap-and-trade legislation, which passed in the House but stalled in the Senate, saying it was a free-market approach supported by presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Boccieri also told the group of about 450 people electricity rates dropped by 10 percent with a free-market approach.

The alternative is having the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulate emissions, which the U.S. Supreme Court has ordered, Boccieri said. Cap-and-trade legislation will make America stronger because the jobs created cannot be shipped overseas and it will reduce dependence upon foreign oil, Boccieri said, adding it is "good public policy" he can embrace.

When the candidates were asked what long-term fixes can be implemented, Boccieri noted the stimulus act was not intended as a be-all, end-all piece of legislation; it was a short-term fix. Before he took office in January 2009, the country had lost four million jobs. His first month in office, the country lost 700,000 jobs. Boccieri said many people think the recession started the day he was sworn in.

The "right investments" made helped families by extending unemployment benefits and extending COBRA payments, Boccieri said. Also, the stimulus act helped companies like Smith Dairy in Orrville expand to land a contract with Chipotle.

Most of the money spent by the federal government has been borrowed from China, Renacci said. All of the borrowing and spending has only seen an increase in unemployment. He said the district's rate of unemployment rose from 6.5 percent when Boccieri took office to about 12 percent, and Renacci said it was unacceptable. If the government is going to spend money, the investments need to produce jobs, not unemployment, he said.

Blevins said for every dollar the government spends, slightly more than 40 percent is borrowed. This borrowing is a serious threat to the country's fiscal future, he said.

The solution is to cut taxes and reign in out-of-control spending, leave more money in the hands of the people, who know best what to spend it on and where to put it in the free-market system, Blevins said. When people are allowed to keep more of the money they earn, when they spend it, jobs will be created and businesses will grow, he indicated.

The debate was sponsored by the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce Coalition for the Support of Business and Jobs, and Louise Keating served as moderator.

Dr. Robert Ross, a write-in candidate from Wooster, was not invited to participate in the debate because of the coalition's memorandum of including only balloted candidates.

Boccieri and Blevins are scheduled to debate at 7 tonight at the Palace Theater in Canton.

Boccieri and Renacci will debate 8 p.m. Monday at GlenOak High School.

Reporter Bobby Warren can be reached at 330-287-1639 or bwarren@the-daily-record.com.